Portable wardrobe



March 27, 1928.

A. LAWTON PORTABLE WARDROBE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 awdrew izawfofi Filed 091;. a, 1924.

' attorney March 27, 1928.

A. S. LAWTQN PORTABLE WARDROBE 2 Shanty-Sheet; 2

vgzwtor tlfidrew Slaw Z2221 Patented Mar. 27, 1928.

UNITED STATES P ATE T O C ANDREW s'. inevvrroiv, or BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS, nssienon ro MAwHmnnY Lissa? COMP-ANY, 20F, senocxron, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION or mass-A- cmrsnmrs.

PORTABLE WARDROBE.

Application filed October 3, 1924. Serial no. 741,351.

This invention relates to improvements in portable wardrobes. More particularly it relates :to that type of wardrobe which is adapted to be set into t-he'jcorner of a room, a-ifording a closet with hooks and shelves; .but which can quickly and conveniently be entirely collapsed, moved to vanother house and thereset up afresh. v I

Sundry devices haveheretofore be-enpro- ,posedfor the purpose thus stated; but none, so far as I'amaware are satsifactorily adapted to the variations between walls and corners of rooms .in hich it may be desired to set up the device. Thes e'variations between supposedly similar rightangled corners. of rooms in different houses occur either through irregularities in the" ca-rpentering or plastering of the house, or of the floor, or of the settling of the structure after being built: It is therefore one purpose of the invention toma'kea portable Wardrobe which shall ,lit with stable precision" each and any such corner, so as to fill the space if desired to haveat-hefirm backing of thejplaste'r wall on each side, while being at; the same time instantly removable therefrom for collapse and portability. and without in any manner defacing or being attached to such wall. This isaccomp'lished by providing a firm, stiff top for the Wardrobe Whichserves both as a horizontal strut-portion vof the frame, at the top of the uprights or legs, and as a cover, and which may serve as. a

shelf, and which is extensible and capable of being fixed in different. degrees of eXtension according .to the particular preclse angle of the supposedly right angled corner in which it is to be set. p

In practice, in one of the forms illustrated, the stiff top of-variable area is made with a framehaving four horizontal :bars, comprising a; middle bar bisecting the angle at the corner of a room two sidebars; one running along each side of the angle .adj acent to the wall, preferably both of these being hinged to the middle bar; and a fourth bar crossing the angle, intersecting all these three bars, and preferably'fixed in length and secured to the outer end of the middle Deep slots are provided in; the side vertical faces of the middle bar, and the fourth :bar, into-Which are set stiff horizontal sheets of fibre or ply Wood which arepreferably carried rigidly on the'side bars of the frame, the latter have fastening meansfor securing them" to the fourth bar at varying degrees'of spread, the

stiff sheets movingout lorin' with thein'and 1 having their free edges always covered by being embedded in the middle and fourth bars. Thus an expansibl'e, fiat, stifi', removable top provided which ca nserv'e asa strut forkeeping'th'e a-ngle'sides' spread, and for a: cover for thecwardrdbe, and for a shelf on which articles may be laid. Thi s top is supported preferably on three legs or nprights, comprising Ea, rear one in the corner and two front ones near the walls, the front legs being severally connected to the rear .leg by hinged cross bars which I ermit'the 'sprea-dmg'of the-front legs if) different angular positions, for setting up and for collapse. Another purpose oft-he" invention is to provide a certainty ofstzrbil ity which I have found lacking in portable" corner Wardrobes previously proposed. I accomplish this by the very simple device of makingthe middle rear"l-eg,at the vertex of the? angle: shorter than, the others and making it extensible.

"This results in ,cantin g the wliolewvardrohe .sllghtly backwa'rd rntothe corner, when it is thus set at shorterjlength; so asito get a. full bearing of the sides of' the top' on the adja- ,cent wall; and in letting the whole. front stand plumb when thisfeature of adaptability .of the wardro'be'is not needed for the particular room and corner'where it is to be placed; and in the latter case it can stand ,pluinb and secure, even though the hoof is pitched a little toward or 'fromfthe corner. It is thus possible to .adjust'the wardrobe so that it is standing on all three legs, on the floor; and yet is leaning back against the side walls of the room, at the top' of the wardrobe, and thus is in a position of security, with each garment added to its'oontents ,mak-ing it the more secure and steady. Other features of the invention provide for the useoffrigid inextensi ble rods for holdings front cover curtain and for holding coat hangers and the like in the midst of the closet, notwithstanding the essentially extensible character of the frame, thus providing economical and firm construction for these important details in a degree that could not be had if they were themselves extensible.

It is also the purpose of the invention to provide the other features of improvement which are shown in the apparatus described. It is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable noV- eltv exist in the invention disclosed.

n the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective of a wardrobe constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan of one form of top for the wardrobe I Figure 3 is an elevation in section on line 3-3 ofFigure 2 showing the middlelbar and portions of the cover'boards;

Figure 4 is a plan of a top side bar with its associated cover board;

Figure 5 is an elevation in section on lines 55 of Figures 1 and 2, showing details of. a front corner;

Figure 6 is an elevation in sect-ionv on line 6-6 of Figure 2 showing details of the rear corner;

Figure 7 is an elevation in section on line 77 of Figure 2;

Figure 8 is a plan of a modified form of p;

Figure 9 is an elevation in section on line 9-9 of Figure 8; and

Figure 10 is a plan in section on line 1010 of Figure 1, showing details of the rear leg construction.

.- Referring to the drawings, the wardrobe is of skeleton construction comprising a rear leglO for the corner of a room, and two front legs 12, 14 which stand close beside the walls, and from each of which horizontal cross bars 16 extend to hinged connections 'with the rear leg so that the front legs may be spread toward or from each other at about 90 angle to accommodate the divergence of the walls, or close together for collapse and portability. The upper of these cross bars, as well as the rear leg, are pro vided wtih hooks 18 upon which may be hung garments or other things to be stored in the wardrobe. On this frame is removably mounted a stiff topwhich serves as a vertical hole at the rear of the middle bar, I

and similar holes at the forward ends of the side bars, receive pins 26 which rise from the tops of the three legs; and each side bar is pivotally attached to the middle bar by a plate 28 fastened to the side bar with a portion overlapping the middle bar and turning about the shaft of a screw 30 thereon; The

outer end of each side bar has a thumb screw .82 which extends through a slot 34 in aplate 36 rigidly mounted on the front bar. This is arranged to permit swinging of the side bar, and with it the front leg, about the rear leg and screw 30 as a pivot, to increase or decrease the angular spread ofthe wardrobe; the whole being secured in the'desiredlsetting by thethumb screws. The pin holes may, if desired, beso placed in the side bars such as ply board or fibre board which is secured in the groove along eachxside bar and extends loosely into the grooves of the middle and front bars. As the side bar is swung away from the other bars, the board moves with it, but still remainswithin the grooves of the latter so that no opening in the top occurs. Theseboards'may be sufficiently strong to support hooks depending within the wardrobe, and to enable the top as a whole to be used for a shelf.

There is mounted on the forward face of the front bar 22 a rigid rod 42 for holding a V curtain 44 which can be slipped to oneside or the otheror drawn across-the front to cover the wardrobe contents. A lid 46 hinged at the top of the front bar swings as a hood over the curtain rod, protecting it and the rings and curtain top from-dust and givin edge of the top.

The top disclosed in Figures 8 and 9 is a modification of that already descriloed,'in

that it has no middle bar and only a single board 40 for the top covering. This is fastened to the front bar 22 and extends loosely within deep grooves 38 formed in the two side bars 24*. A's-the latter'are adjusted away from each other, about a piv otal connection 48 at their corner ends, tofit against the walls of the room adjacent to the corner, they move somewhat away from the cover board, but not far enough to withdraw the edges of the latter entirely from their grooves. The amplitude of the provision for adjustment is seen clearly in Figure 9, where the side bar is shown in its extreme position of spread. The engagement of the thumb lUO r a finishedappearance to the forward 'dr-awal of the cover board from its groove in the side bar.

In-placi-ng the wardrobe in the corner of a room it is desirable toha-veit stand. on .its' three legs and where feasible to have its top sidebarsrest againstthe walls. Because of the variations in divergence of room walls and in the level of the flooring, encountered in practice, some corners being less than a right angle and others being more, and the floor at the corner being sometimes higher and sometimes lower than it is along the walls, the present invention provides a Wardrobe which is adapted to accommodate itself to whatever conditions it encounters. In setting it up, the top is assembled and placed upon the pins 26 projecting from the tops of the legs, the thumb screw nuts 32 being backed off so that theside bars can swing about the pivotal connections with the middle bar, as in Figure 2, or between themselves, as in Figure 8. The wardrobe is then placed with its rear leg in the corner, and with its front legs against the walls or base boards of the room. The rear leg 10! is shorter than the others, and is made extensible in height. to a length greater than that of the others, by having a sleeve 50 at its end, adjustable along the leg, there being a vertical slot 50 in the sleeve and a thumb screw 32 projecting through it from the leg for fastening the sleeve at any desired position. Viththe front legs in place the wardrobe may be tipped rearward until the inner end of the middle bar of the tgo rests in the corner, either against the plaster or just clearing it, as desired. The sleeve on the rear leg is then adjusted to stand on the floor and carry the weight with the top in this position; and the side bars are swung outward until they rest against the walls. When thus positioned the thumb nuts are tightened. The wardrobe is now in place, firmly stand ing on its three legs and with its top fitting against the walls of the room. Garments can now be hung on the several hooks or suspended from a rigid rod 52 depending from the middle bar, as seen in Figure 1, or upon a similar support on the under side of the one-piece board cover 4O of Figure 8, or otherwise placed. Wherever placed the weight of the garments tends to maintain the wardrobe without tilting or tipping from its original position. If preferred the rear post may be arranged to rise vertically from the floor at the corner of the base board thus keeping all uprights plumb, whether the floor be precisely level or not, and yet the spreading of the front legs to the base boards will hold the whole steady; but in general it is not necessary to have the legs plumb for the flowing lines of the curtain cover dis semble any minor departure from strict verthe rear leg adjustment, butmerelyresting on thatleg in its-shortestform, in which case all parts are firmly supported on floor, base boards and plaster walls.

:1 claim as;;my;invention: 1. A portable wardrobeadapted tobeset in the corner of a room, comprising a frame having a rear corner leg and two front wall legs, and a top comprisinga stiff cover extensible angularly and mounted thereon; the

said rear leg being shorter than the front legs, thereby permitting the wardrobe to be set with its three feet on the floor and the edges of its top against the walls.

2. A portable wardrobe adapted to be set in the corner of a room, comprising a frame having a rear corner leg and two frontwall legs, and a top mounted thereon; the said rear leg being adjustable in length, for canting the wardrobe to hold its top against the walls while its feet are on the floor.

8. A portable wardrobe adapted to be set in the corner of a room, comprising a frame having legs andatop mounted thereon; the

said top having a frame with side members pivotally supported at their corner ends and a stiff front cross member connecting the front ends of said side members, and fastening means at the junction of a side member and the front member, permitting fixing of the side members in adjusted positions about their pivots. I v

4. A portable wardrobe adapted to be set in the corner of a room, comprising a frame having legs and atop mounted thereon; said top having a frame comprising a middle bar bisecting the corner angle, a front bar crossing the angle and engaging the middle bar, and movable side bars pivotally secured to the corner end of the middle bar and adjustably attached to the extremitiesof the front bar.

5. A portable wardrobe adapted to be set in the corner of a room, comprising a frame having legs and a top mounted thereon; said top having a frame comprising a middle bar bisecting the corner angle, a front bar crossing the angle and engaging the middle bar, movable side bars pivotally secured to the corner end of the middle bar and adjustably attached to the extremities of the front bar, and closure boards supported by said bars having a rigid engagement with one and a sliding engagement with another of said at the corner, and a front member having connections with the front ends of said side members permitt ng said side members to be swung about their pivots, and means limiting the degree of said swing to adjustment ing the Wardrobe to hold its topagainst the dimensions approximating a right angle be- Walls While its feet are on the floor, and said 10 tween the side members. a top being extensibleiangularly to accommo- 7. A portable Wardrobe adapted to be set date variations in Wall divergence v 5 in the corner of a room, comprising a frame Signed at Brockton, Massachnsettg this having a rear corner leg and tWo front Wall first day of October, 1924:. legs, and a top mounted thereon; the said i rear leg being adjustable in length, for cant- ANDREWV S. LAWTON.

GERTEFECAT Marcia 2: 1928, to

Patent No. 1, 663, 949.

ANDREW S. LAWTQEN.

%' n sf ihe Early and"; that izhe s;-z1.1a Letzers therein that the same may waimm $0 the :3 i322 sass in Fatemt @iiice.

Signed and sealed this 15th day 05 M 0f Patent x (Seal) 

